Maglor's Begetting Day
by AllonsyMiddleEarth
Summary: Some Elrond stuff, dedicated to star-vault-ofthe-heavens on tumblr. Imladris, Third Age: 108. Elrond and Celebrían are newly betrothed and Celebrían finds out it is Maglor's begetting day, always a hard day for Elrond. Characters Elrond/Celebrian, also Elros, Maglor, Maedhros.


"Glorfindel! Have you seen Elrond?" Celebrían had been wandering around Imladris all morning trying to find her betrothed, it was nearly mid-day and he wasn't in his study, counsel meetings, the library, the stables, or anywhere else she could think to look. He had responsibilities, surely he had to be somewhere around?

"Oh." Glorfindel gave her a strange look. "You do not know what today is, do you?"

Celebrían shook her head.

"It is Maglor's begetting day. It is never an easy day for Elrond."

Celebrían took a deep breath, understanding.  
"Do you know where he is?" She asked.

"Well he is likely in or around his chambers and will not want to be disturbed, but you may be an exception to that." Glorfindel raised his eyebrows, and Celebrían grinned before heading off to find Elrond.

"Elrond?" Celebrían found him in the secluded gardens outside his chambers, blooming fully in the brilliant colors of spring. He didn't react to her presence at all, but she sat beside him and took his hand in hers. "Glorfindel told me."

He nodded slightly, wordlessly.

"We don't have to talk, I just did not want you to be alone." Celebrían told him softly, and he smiled his thanks and squeezed her hand, still lost in memories.

_"So that star means that our father is sailing in the sky?" Elros was slightly confused at the concept, though Maglor had tried to explain it twice. Or what he knew of it, anyway. Maedhros and Maglor had easily recognized the Silmaril light the moment they saw it in the sky, but it had taken some asking around and guesswork to piece together the whole story from the news they got._

"Indeed." Maglor answered softly.

"And Nana is with him?" Elros continued.

"Perhaps not in the sky tonight, but yes, she is with him."

"Then you did not kill them." Elrond spoke suddenly. It was a rare occasion for him to speak to anyone but Elros, and Maglor worked to hide his surprise.

"No, Elrond, I did not. They are alive." He sighed. The elfling had no reason to trust him; it was a wonder Elros did not hate him more. But Maglor wished he could express to the twins that he really meant them no harm, and that he was beginning to care for them, truly.

"Then why won't they come back?" Elrond's voice cracked, and Elros hugged him.

"I am sorry Elrond. The Valar will not let them; they must remain in Valinor. If the rest of the Noldor are able to sail one day, you can see them again."

"You lie!" Elrond accused. "You did something, that is why they are not here!"

"Oh, Elrond, I wish I had, because then I could fix it. But I can not." Maybe it was better the elflings blamed him and held their own parents guiltless. But they were too wise for that, and one day they would grow older and learn the truth.

"I don't believe you!" The elfling shouted. "You lost all of your family and now you've lost us ours too!" Maglor almost jumped back in surprise. Elrond was very perceptive for an elfling, indeed. And the painful part was that he was not wrong.  
He should just send the elflings to Círdan, Maglor thought tiredly. They would all be happier.

"No Elrond, he tells the truth." Elros said softly, and Maglor and Elrond both looked at him in surprise, though Elrond's expression was full of anger. "If it was his fault they left, it wasn't his fault they didn't come back."

"I'm still mad at you too." Elros told Maglor when he saw the older elf staring at him. "But I think you hurt as much as we do.

To Maglor's surprise, Elros wrapped his arms around Maglor in a quick hug before turning and walking back inside, to the room he shared with Elrond. Elrond stood angrily and marched after him, with a last glare at Maglor. 

_Maglor left the twins alone that night, bidding servants to tuck them in instead, not wanting to provoke Elrond any more._

The next morning when he went to check on them, though, only Elros was still there, deep asleep, and Elrond's bed was empty.

Maglor found him outside, where they had been last night, watching his father's star for the last glimpse he would get of it before the sun rose. 

_"Elrond?" He asked gently, and the elfling did not move a muscle. Maglor sat a few feet away from him. "Did you sleep last night at all?"_

He gave one shake of his head no, and his eyes did not leave the sky until the star had disappeared. Maglor said nothing.

"Elros is right." Elrond said, finally. "You lost almost as much as we did. I do not forgive you, but I do not hate you."

Elrond did not venture to hug him as Elros had, but from Elrond, this was a huge improvement, given that the only time Elrond had made eye contact with Maglor of Maedhros these past months was to glare at them, if he even gave them that much.

"Thank you." Maglor told him. "I know I can not make anything up to you, but I promise you that you and Elros will always be safe here, you have my word. And as happy as it is possible to be."

Elrond almost smiled, but not quite. And he was right not to, Maglor thought. That promise was not worthy of a thanks. The twins were still, by most all definitions, their prisoners. 

_"Go back and get a few hours rest, will you?" Maglor asked him gently, and Elrond rose and disappeared inside. _

_Maglor followed with one last glance at the now empty sky. So many had suffered for the Silmarils. Alone of his brothers, he seemed to be the only one wishing they had never been forged. And if ever that thought had been re-enforced, it was in watching the suffering of the twins that never would have come to pass had it not been for the cursed Silmarils or the Oath. All that pain and suffering over what? All that the Silmarils were to him, they were not worth this, were they?_

Maglor knew Maedhros did not agree, and he only hoped that that opinion would not lead to more trouble for the twins down the road. Or for themselves. 

"I always wonder if I should have tried to find him." Elrond said, somewhat hoarsely.

"I do not think he wanted to be found, or he would have made it easier to find him. My mother searched for a time, there was no trace."

"But if he knew I were trying… if he is watching, he must think I do not care."

"Elrond, if he wanted to be found he would have left clues. It would not be hard to drop hints to your men, have something mentioned to you. There was nothing you could have done." Celebrían told him softly.

"You are right." Elrond nodded. He hadn't known that Galadriel had searched for Maglor. He had always assumed Maglor and Maedhros had become too distant from their family by that point. But not to Galadriel, of course. He should have known. He looked almost relieved, but he still looked worried.

_"Elrond! Elros!" Maedhros was calling for them._

The twins were hiding, more to be mischievous than because they didn't want to come, though. They had finally only recently gotten to the point where they were beginning to be close with Maglor, and Maedhros they tolerated well enough, anyway.

"Do we need to start tying ropes to them and chaining them up just to keep track of them?" Maedhros muttered, mostly good-humoredly, to himself, and the twins jumped down from the roof they had been hiding on, giggling.

"You may not listen to me, but we are trying to do something nice for Maglor today, will you listen to me for him?"

"Yes, Maedhros." They said in unison, and he shook his head.

"Go on then, wash off all that mud and get ready!"

"Yes, Maedhros." They bowed in unison and he glared at them suspiciously as they bolted off. Did they have something up their sleeves? The twins never listened to him so willingly, even for Maglor's sake, even if it was Maglor's begetting day.

Maedhros stood in the foyer where he had told the twins to meet him, though there was no sign of them. He let out a sigh. Of course they were late, this afternoon had been far too easy so far.

Soon though, his ears picked up their voices coming from the dining room, and Maglor's too.

He rolled his eyes and headed towards the door, pushing it open, and opened his mouth to tell the twins off for not being where they were supposed to be for them to all surprise Maglor together.

He, however, was the one in for a surprise.

As soon as he entered the doorway, not one, or two, but three buckets of water flipped over, triggered by the door, and emptied on his head. He staggered back out of the onslaught, and nearly fell over by hitting the wall when he misjudged where it was.

Maedhros came up sputtering, and Maglor was laughing hysterically, the twins giggling behind him with identical wicked grins. He growled and made to move forward, but tripped over the bucket at his feet, and the three of them laughed all the harder.

Maedhros licked his lips. It was saltwater, too. No wonder his eyes stung slightly. He could just imagine the fun the twins had concocting this plan behind his back.

"Oh brother, they are just having fun." Maglor wiped tears of laughter from his eyes and reached to help Maedhros up.

"At my expense." He grunted. "Not even a very original prank, either…"

"We thought it might make you laugh, Maglor." Elros said innocently, and handed Maedhros a towel.

"And we wanted to make you laugh, since it is your begetting day." Elrond added earnestly.

Maglor beamed and thanked them, but Maedhros just grumbled something about it being an excuse for the twins to play a prank on him and get away with it. He wasn't wrong.

"You will still mop up this water after the meal, and I should make you write a formal apology…" Maedhros started.

"Let it go, just this once, Maedhros." Maglor spoke up. "No harm done!"

"To YOU!" Maedhros protested, but he was biting back a smile now, too.

They waited while Maedhros went to dry himself and put on new robes, and then started on the wonderful food that had been prepared for Maglor, and he opened his gifts.

Elrond had been learning to carve wood, and had made Maglor an intricate and beautiful wooden harp. "Oh, Elrond, I love it!" Maglor had told the elfling, hugging him tightly. Elros had made a dagger, though with plenty of help from older elves. He was young to be working in forgery, but he had quite an aptitude for it. It was fairly clumsily made, as elven weapons go, but Maglor promised the elfling that he would treasure the dagger forever.

"What do you worry about?" Celebrían asked gently, watching Elrond chew his lip.

"I worry that I will not be a good father. What examples do I have? Our own Adar was not around much, even before anything happened. Maglor loved us, but it was not the same…"

"You will have me, I had great examples, and I know how to be a parent. You will not have to do it alone." Celebrían suddenly worried comparing her own, rather fortunate, situation to his would only make him feel worse, and hurriedly continued. "I mean, I have seen you with the elflings around Imladris, they adore you. You will be a wonderful father."

Elrond did not answer, but Celebrían doubted she could have convinced him anyway.

"Fear not, that day is still a fair bit of time away, is it not?" Celebrían smiled, and Elrond at least stopped gnawing on his lip.

"Fear not." She repeated, and pulled him into a gentle hug. He leaned his head on her shoulder and sighed.

"Celebrían?" He said softly.

"Hmm?"

"I am sorry you have to love one so broken."

"Elrond Peredhel! You are not broken." She took his face in her hands and forced him to look into her eyes, making sure he was listening. "You are wonderful, beautiful, brilliant, and as whole as anyone else is. I love you for that, and your pain does not change any of it."

She finally enticed a real smile from him with that.

"Thank you." He said, leaning his head against her again. "Thank you for being here with me."

"Always." She murmured, entwining her fingers with his again. "You are not alone anymore, Elrond."

~*~*~


End file.
